


Screaming to the Sky

by baileek313



Series: My Heroic Hearts [2]
Category: Kingdom Hearts, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Childhood Friends, Family Feels, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Parental Aqua (Kingdom Hearts), Roxas and Sora Are Twins (Kingdom Hearts), Sora has One for All, Sports Festival Arc (My Hero Academia), but doesn't know it until towards the end, tags will be added as the story goes on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:21:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22976065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baileek313/pseuds/baileek313
Summary: The students of Class 1-A are still reeling from their encounter with Organization XIII, but heroes in training are never given a break. Sora especially. After learning that Roxas is still alive, he's more determined than ever to become a hero. But the way the rest of the semester is going doesn't seem to want to make it easy. From a fight with a friend during the Sports Festival, a confrontation during his internships, new friends, and a revelation about his power that shakes the very foundation of everything that he knew. On top of it all, he's still expected to pass his final exams.Well... no one ever said that being a hero was going to be easy, now did they?
Relationships: Leon (Kingdom Hearts)/Squall Leonhart/Cloud Strife, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: My Heroic Hearts [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1617466
Kudos: 4





	Screaming to the Sky

**Author's Note:**

> And we're back! I finished the first chapter pretty quickly, and I wanted to give you all a little taste of it while I write out the rest of the Sports Festival. 
> 
> Just a brief recap about this story and the series as a whole, it's AU where KH characters, and all associated with them (Final Fantasy, Disney, etc) are in the world of My Hero Academia. Sora has One for All, the characters have Quirks, etc. Stuff like that. Easy? Cool? Good.
> 
> I have a lot of stuff planned for this fic, and not all characters have been tagged for this very reason. So far, the only characters tagged are the ones who are considered to be main during the Sports Festival arc. I'll tag the rest following the Hero Killer (not sure if I can call it that) and the Final Exams arc.
> 
> This chapter serves as a recap to what happened in the last fic, as well as to set up for where this arc is going to go. Just a heads up.

_ The first incident was in China, when a child who radiated light was born. It was not long after that reports of people with superpowers popped up all over the globe. No one knew what was causing it. Our world quickly became a society of superhumans, with about eighty percent of the population being born with some extraordinary ability. The streets looked like scenes straight out of comic books. Cities swirled with chaos and confusion, and soon a new profession was born. It became an age of heroes. _

_ For the longest time, we thought that I was born without superpowers. I was Quirkless; just an ordinary kid unlike my brother and friends. I wanted to be a hero so badly, but I couldn’t. I started to give up on my dream. Still… even though my brain told me that I could never have what I wanted, my heart told me the opposite. And it’s all thanks to the people who’ve supported me that I’m here now. _

_ With the power I’ve been given, my dream is starting to become a reality! Though there have been setbacks, I keep pushing forward. And my journey is just beginning. _

_ This is the story of how I became the world’s greatest hero! _

* * *

The evening was peaceful and quiet. She heard nothing but the subtle beep of the heart monitor that was hooked up to her. She absolutely despised hospitals. Ever since she was in high school, she hated them. Being stuck in this room was driving her crazy. The only company that she had was Gainsborough, who had been coming in periodically to heal her since yesterday. It still wasn’t enough.

And the news was certainly not helping either.

“ _ Up next, an update on yesterday’s incident at the U.A. rescue training center where hero course students were attacked by a gang of villains. _ ” She glared up at the TV as it played yet another news report about the incident that landed her in this very hospital bed. “ _ According to police officials, the criminal forces called themselves ‘Organization XIII’. Investigators have reportedly uncovered that this group has been plotting to kill U.A. teachers and popular heroes Kunoichi, Fenrir and Rainspell since the spring of this year. By the time police arrived at the scene, the villains were able to escape. Their current whereabouts are unknown. _ ”

She winced as she slammed a hand down on the remote by her side to shut it off. She didn’t want to hear it anymore. She had lived through it. The memories of her arms snapping… the immense pain as her face was smashed into the ground. And their faces…

Her heart sunk as she remembered the faces of those she fought against. They may have been older than she remembered, but there was no doubt about it that they were them. At least they were alive. There was something clearly wrong with them, but they were alive.

She sighed. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. According to the doctors and Gainsborough, it was the time for her to heal. She didn’t want that. She was already wound tight. She had students to take care of and teach. She would have laughed if it didn’t hurt. If only  _ he  _ could see her now. He would probably do some teasingly (and unintentionally sweet) variation of ‘I told you so’. He was right. As harsh as she was sometimes, she loved guiding the next generation of heroes. Every year, she hoped that she could help those kids to grow in both power and character so that they could survive the harshness of reality.

Her students. Those kids drove her crazy sometimes, but they were exceptionally brave. They fought against the villains that had attacked them and even managed to defend their teacher when she could no longer stand. She had to hand it to them. They were more exceptional than they made themselves out to be. Especially that boy. Sora Leonhart. 

When she started the semester, she had never expected to find that power again. Honestly, she had never expected to even  _ see _ that power again. She had never thought that Ventus had somehow managed to pass down his power onto a young child before slipping away into sleep. She had never thought that child would become her student. 

She had gone through the boy’s records shortly after that first day. Before, Sora was registered as having no Quirk. Then, one surprisingly manifested in April of last year. After reading about the incident and seeing him use it herself, there was no doubt in her mind that Sora Leonhart was the holder of Ventus’s special Quirk.

Then she read a little further. A few days after activating his power for the first time, both Sora and his brother were caught up in yet another incident. Despite knowing how strong he now was, the boy had refused to use it, relying on his natural skills and incredible bravery as he rushed to protect his brother’s life. After seeing how he tended to do things, she could assume that he didn’t have a plan then. He just knew that he had to do something.

Seeing that boy act reminded her of something important. It reminded her of the values that she had lost alongside those most important to her. The same values that she had to embody in order to call herself a hero. Even though she would never say it to him out loud (it might go to his head then), that boy could’ve become a hero without that power flowing through his veins.

It became very apparent to her that Sora didn’t know the true nature of his power. And after talking with Strife about it multiple times, she learned that he didn’t either. He was the one responsible for training the boy, for gods’ sakes. It seemed like she was the only one who had deduced the truth.

She wanted to tell them. Or at least let Sora know. As the holder of that power, he deserved to know more than anyone. He deserved just how special he was and just exactly what destiny had given him. That ability…  __ the power that bound itself to a strong heart that beat with the courage to save all those in need.

One for All.

Although Sora had been struggling with that ability, he had never stopped fighting to give 110% into everything that he did. She wasn’t trying to condone Ventus’s reckless action in passing off his power. No, it was an act of desperation that wasn’t well thought out but… Even if it was by accident… She did believe that he found the right person to give it to.

And that was a problem. She wasn’t sure how long she could keep this from him. Eventually, Sora was going to figure out that she knew something. Or worse, Strife would find out. That was not a confrontation that she wanted to deal with. But… she could never find the right moment to tell the boy the truth. 

Until the time came for the cat to be let out of the bag, well… Aqua Caelum would have to figure out how to train the boy with all the patience and wisdom that her own teachers had before her. She laid back in the bed and sighed.

The school year had barely begun, and already it was shaping up to be an interesting year.

* * *

He hated having to be at the school right now. He hated the fact that they had to have this meeting. But the attack on the USJ wasn’t something that the U.A. staff could brush off so easily. Villains had broken into the school and attacked the students. Their students.  _ His _ students… his own  _ son _ . They made it personal by putting the children in danger. And as a school staffed by Pro Heroes, they were inclined to help with the investigation process somewhat. Or at least get briefed about what was going on so far.

Cloud Strife leaned back in his chair in the staff room, listening carefully as the detective in charge of investigating the USJ went over his findings.

“Our investigators are trying to learn everything they can about this so-called ‘Organization XIII’. We’ve made some progress, but we can’t find anything on this Xemnas so far,” said the detective, and Cloud bit back a groan. “We’ve searched our records for men in their twenties or thirties who match the description the teachers and the students gave us, but so far, we’ve come up empty. Same for the Warp villain, Xigbar. So they’re not citizens or they’re using aliases. Hard to find, either way.”

Those two were problems. One of them was the leader of the Organization, and the other was a bastard. Cloud had read over Sora’s statement that he gave to the police. He had stated who that man was. What his Quirk was. What he did back in April. Bastard.

“So,” said Zack Fair, his voice snapping Cloud out of his seething, “what you’re saying is that we know jackshit.” Yeah… that seemed like a pretty basic way to summarize it.

“Not quite.” Cloud raised a brow the detective’s response. “We’ve managed to pin down everyone’s identity with those two being the exception. We have a theory in the works after…” he glanced over at Cloud, who was silently daring him to go and say what he knew he was going to say, “after learning that the Leonhart boy that was taken last year was among their ranks.”

Cloud stared down at the table in front of him. Yup, there it was. The Organization, with only that Warping Bastard identified as one of the three members, had attacked the two boys that he called his sons. Cloud had been too late to stop them then and was too drained to do anything to stop them back at the USJ from taking the younger twin away a second time.

“That only means tracking them down should be our top priority. I managed to strike their leader, and Cloud took out their heavy hitter,” continued Zack as Cloud danced around his own recollection of events in his mind. “Those kids did some real damage, too. But once they’re all healed up, I wouldn’t be surprised if they try something like this again.” He groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “It’s such a pain.”

Cloud sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. That villain was just… he didn’t even seem like the type...

“Something on your mind, Cloud?” Cloud glanced over at the principal sitting beside him. Everyone’s eyes were on him now. Crap, had he said that out loud? Cloud sighed again before nodding.

“Yes, actually,” he admitted, leaning back in his seat. There had been something on his mind since the meeting began. And it was the question of  _ why _ . “The attack on the USJ was just… too bold. No sane adult would ever attempt it. Their leader kept monologuing about the reasons that they were there, and although he fought somewhat, he never let a hint drop as to what his own power was. And the way he bragged about what he did to Roxas…” Cloud’s hand balled up under the table, eyes narrowing as that cropped up again, “he seemed so proud of it. I guess revealing that was a good way to draw me into a fight…”

“That might be true,” said the principal, “but it would be foolish to reveal his Quirk up front instead of keeping it a secret.” The detective nodded in agreement. Cloud sighed, only mustering up a short shrug.

“It was a decent play, I’ll admit. But still… manipulating a child… kidnapping him, brainwashing him, stripping him of his memories… It’s unforgivable.” The static in the air started to grow heavier as Cloud started to let his anger take control. “He said everything with such a stoic look on his face… and almost like he was the one who did it. When he realized things wouldn’t go according to plan, he became enraged and attacked like a cornered dog. There was something about him that was unstable… almost like a virus in a program. One minute he was calm but then…” Cloud slammed a fist down on the table, making the detective jump. “And my son’s in the hands of such a person.”

“A person with incredible influence,” Zack tacked on.

“It’s possible that he never received counseling that children receive in elementary school for their Quirks,” said Tifa Lockhart, sitting opposite Cloud and so far strangely silent until now. “If he is responsible for Roxas’s condition, then it might be a direct cause of his Quirk. Possibly some sort of mind control…? “

“It doesn’t matter,” said Cloud, bright blue eyes an electric storm. “What matters is finding out everything we can about them so that we can take them down.”

“Cloud,” Zack nudged him under the table with his foot, “your personal grudge is showing.” Cloud really didn’t care. He was allowed to have a grudge against the guy. He took one of his kittens and tried to hurt the other. He had every reason for wanting to see the man thrown in prison.

“What worries me is that this man got them all to follow his crazy plan,” said the detective, getting the meeting back on track. Oh, right. They were going over the investigation's findings. “They viewed him as a real leader. Criminals are starting to feel more pressure now that the world is brimming with heroes. That could be why they were so quick to back such a simple-minded villainy.”

“It makes sense. There are plenty of people out there looking for a cause to get behind.” And Cloud personally hated that.

“What can we do to stop them?” Tifa asked.

“Well, it is thanks to you heroes that we have this time to devote ourselves to this case,” said the detective. “We’ll expand our investigation and continue searching for the perpetrators who planned this attack.” Cloud sighed. They only had to keep on trying. Trying to look for any clue, any slip up that those villains made in order to take them down.

And hopefully undo the damage they had caused that wasn’t just physical.

“In some ways, he has something in common with our students,” piped up the principal. “They both have so much potential. And, like our students, I suppose it’s possible someone is guiding him, trying to nurture that darkness inside of him.” Cloud sighed again, looking away from the other teachers.

He didn’t want to think about what that meant.

* * *

U.A. High School was closed the day after Organization XIII attacked the USJ. He kind of guessed that the staff wanted them to have a little break (Cloud certainly didn’t say anything about it), but for Sora Leonhart, it was extremely hard to relax. How could they expect him to do that after all he had been through?

During the attack, all he and his classmates did was hold their homeroom teacher, Ms. Caelum and their rescue instructor, Yuffie Kisaragi, back. If it wasn’t for Cloud and the rest of the staff showing up, they wouldn’t have stood a chance. They were far from becoming real heroes. And for Sora, that had only made him feel worse.

Only one good thing came out of the USJ fight, and that was the knowledge that Roxas was alive — Sora’s own twin that he had failed to save had been taken from him more than once. While he had been praised for his actions by his parents, it still stung. 

Sora had attacked Roxas without knowing who it was. He had been made to fight against his brother, who didn't even seem to recognize his own name. It had been made personal by that little detail. Sora wanted to forget all about it, to forget how much it hurt to see Roxas like that. Unfortunately, when he returned to school, that was all the class could talk about.

“Hey, guys!” Sora heard Selphie Tilmitt say the moment he opened the door to the classroom. Just about everyone besides Sora’s own best friend was there. And of course, the room was buzzing with conversation. “Did you see the news last night?”

“Yeah, why?” Tidus Fleming, a boy with dirty blonde hair replied, twisting his body around to face her.

“We managed to get a few seconds of screen time!” The dark haired boy that sat in front of Selphie leaned back in his seat.

“That’s because we’re big deals now,” said Aladdin Ali, providing an explanation for that. “The news channels love us!” News…? What were they…?

“It’s kind of crazy to think that we’d be the ones on there,” added Eugene Fitzherbert, who had his hands busy with helping the girl with incredibly long blonde hair that sat next to him tie up her hair so that it was out of her face.

“Get over yourselves,” Adam Desrosiers, a beastly looking boy with horns and a tail to boot said, his tone harsh towards the loud students that just had to be that close to him. “The hero course that basically pumps out pros was attacked. That’s all they really care about.”

Oh. Oh, that’s what they were talking about. Sora bit his lip as he made his way over to his desk, waving at the redhead girl that was another one of his close friends that was already there. At least Kairi seemed like she didn’t want any part of the discussion, either.

“Who knows what would’ve happened if the teachers didn’t show up when they did,” said Selphie, steering back the conversation to the fight that Sora really wished they would stop talking about.

“Hey,” said Wakka Nakai, a tall redhead that turned to Eugene, Aladdin and the girl that Eugene had just about finished helping out, “you guys saw Fenrir take on the berserker guy, right?” Fenrir… Cloud. They were talking about Cloud.

“Yeah,” said the girl with the blonde hair, Rapunzel Corona. “That guy was super strong, and Fenrir still fried him!” Sora sighed. He couldn’t take this anymore.

“Cloud’s really strong,” he finally said, giving in as he turned to face first of his classmates. “It’s amazing how much electricity he can release at once. I don’t think that guy’s getting up anytime soon…” 

Cloud’s Quirk allowed him to turn into a human lightning bolt. He put a quick end to the fight by shocking the “berserker” his classmates were talking about with just about every ounce of electricity that he had remaining in his system. And If Sora remembered correctly, the berserker hadn’t gotten back up after taking that hit.

The door then opened again. The last remaining member of Class 1-A had finally arrived: a tall boy with long, silver hair who wore a blindfold over his eyes. How he was able to see out of that was still a mystery. Sora’s best friend and class representative, Riku Yamazaki, seemed tired as he shut the door.

“Alright, homeroom’s about to start!” he said as soon as he did, his voice commanding enough to cut the chatter short. Sora thanked him for that. “Everyone take their seats.”

“Dude, we’ve been sitting the whole time,” said Eugene. “You’re the only one who’s standing.” Riku stared at him, a bit stunned for a moment. He was right. Riku said nothing as he walked over to his seat and sat down. There was a pale shade of red visible on his cheeks as Kairi leaned over and patted her friend’s shoulder.

“Don’t sweat it,” she said, trying to reassure him. The class ultimately remained quiet as the bell rang, signifying the start of homeroom. But… there was just one little problem.

“Hey, guys?” piped up the redhead girl with fish-like features all over her body, Ariel Triton. She began to lean back in her seat. “So…” She let out a yelp as her chair started to slide out from under her. Rapunzel acted quickly, catching the girl who sat in front of her before she could fall over. “Who's gonna be teaching class today? Ms. Caelum’s still in the hospital recovering from her injuries, right?”

That… was a good question.

Class 1-A’s homeroom teacher was Aqua Caelum, known to the public as the Pro Hero Rainspell. To the media she was known as “the hero who could weather any storm”, which sounded appropriate considering her Quirk allowed her to manipulate weather. Ms. Caelum had thrown herself into combat against the Organization in order to protect the students. Ariel and Sora had witnessed that fight itself. They saw their teacher get her face smashed in and get her arms snapped like twigs. Ariel had been the one to carry Caelum out of combat. She had barely been conscious when Cloud arrived.

So, that raised the question. Who the hell was going to handle Class 1-A until their teacher was released? As if on cue, Sora got his answer. The door to the classroom opened.

“Good morning, class.” The students’ eyes went wide at who walked, or rather limped, into the room.

“Ms. Caelum?!” the class exclaimed. The woman’s entire face was wrapped in bandages, covering every portion of it besides dark blue eyes, her nostrils and mouth. Both of her arms were in casts and both were in slings. Despite her legs taking no injury, it looked like it hurt her to walk. What was she even doing here?!

“What a pro…” Tidus muttered loud enough for people to hear. “I guess she’s at the top for a reason.” Riku, Kairi and Sora looked between each other before settling their sights back on their teacher. Riku raised his hand.

“Ms. Caelum,” he asked as she walked up to the podium in the front of the classroom, “are you alright?”

“I’m perfectly fine to come back to teach if that’s what you mean. However, my wellbeing is currently irrelevent,” Caelum with a sigh that sounded painful. Sora would beg to differ. “What’s important now is that your fight isn’t over.” Okay, that triggered a fight or flight response. Sora dug his nails into his desk. Were they going to fight more villains already?! “...The U.A. Sports Festival is to kick off two weeks from now.”

“Yes!” Eugene shouted, jumping up from his seat. “The sports festival! Let’s kick some ass!” Sora groaned. This was a good thing, but why did she have to go and scare them like that?! Aladdin and Rapunzel pulled Eugene back into his seat, each of them with a hand over his mouth.

“Uh… is it really a good idea to have the sports festival after villains broke in?” Aladdin asked.

“They could attack when we’re all in one place again,” added Mulan Fa, a girl with dragon-like features from scales to a tail. Ms. Caelum huffed, sounding annoyed already.

“The administration thinks that holding the sports festival is a good way to show the world that the threat has been handled and our school is safer than it’s ever been before,” she explained. “They’re also increasing security now in order to prevent any such attacks from happening. And besides, this event is an opportunity for you. It’s not something that we can cancel just because of a few villains.”

“Uh, why not?” asked Peter Pan, an impish redhead boy who almost always took advantage of his flight Quirk. “It’s just a sports festival!” Sora turned around to face him.

“Uh, Peter? Do you know how important the sports festival is?” he asked.

“I do! I just don’t want to die!”

“Pan,” Ms. Caelum sounded more done with things that she did before, “our sports festival is one of the most watched events in the country. In the past, the games that we all obsessed over were the Olympics. But now, they take second place since Quirks have appeared. For anyone who cares about competition, the only tournament that matters is the U.A. Sports Festival.”

“That’s right,” added Mulan, the look she had in her eye slightly anxious. “And top heroes will be watching us. This is our chance to get scouted.”

“Oh yeah,” said Tidus, leaning back in his seat. “After graduating, a lot of people join pro agencies as a sidekick.” They both had fair points. This was a chance for the kids to shine. Their teacher sighed, leaning forward against the podium. She winced and pulled back almost immediately.

“It’s true that joining a famous agency will give you great experience and possibly popularity. And unfortunately, that’s why the festival should matter to you,” she explained, glaring down at the podium in front of her before returning his focus to her students. “If you all want to go pro one day, then this event opens up that path. One chance a year. Three chances in a lifetime. None of you can afford to miss this festival. Which means no slacking off in your training! Am I understood?”

“Yes, ma’am!” chimed the class. The Sports Festival, huh? Sora smirked.

This was going to be fun.

* * *

The school bell soon chimed, signalling the end of morning classes for the hero course students. Now it was time for their lunch break. And it was time for the kids to finally let out their excitement from the news that they had received that morning.

“That villain stuff sucked, sure,” said Eugene, being the first to bring up the Sports Festival after class had ended and still channeling that excitement form homeroom, “but I’m fired up for these games!” From beside him, Rapunzel nodded in agreement.

“If we put on a good show,” she said with a wide grin, “we’ll be on the road to bein’ heroes!”

“That’s why we’re here in the first place,” Wakka told her, hands behind his head.

“We have so few chances…” added Mulan, a fierce look of determination taking place of the anxiety she displayed earlier. “We have to make the most of this.”

“Oh man, I’m getting nervous thinking about it!” Ariel just about bounced out of her seat as she spoke, the green translucent fins on her ears wiggling with delight. “We have to come up with a way to get noticed!”

“You’re a fish,” said the shortest member of 1-A, a boy named Hiro Hamada, “You don’t have to try hard.” Ariel frowned in his direction. Well… with those scales trailing up and down her arms and legs, as well as those fins of hers, it wasn’t going to be hard to stand out.

“Adam, you’re lucky,” said Wakka, leaning against the beast boy’s shoulder as he passed by him, “People are bound to notice your Quirk.”

“Doesn’t matter,” said Adam before jerking Wakka’s hand off of him. “Get off of me.”

“And that is what will make a scene,” commented Mulan, grabbing her lunch bag. Adam growled at her like the angry beast he was right now.

“Don’t poke the bear!” Hiro said quickly, trying to use his role as the class’s deputy rep to keep the peace. Sora grinned. Everyone was so hyped up about the festival. It felt really good to have such an uplifting topic to focus on.

“This is going to be insane!” he said to Riku and Kairi as he finished packing his things away so they could head to the cafeteria. “I can’t believe everyone’s so excited.”

“Of course they are. We enrolled here to become heroes,” said Riku, already standing beside his desk. Sora was the one that both he and Kairi were waiting for. “It’s only natural that some of us are getting excited. I thought you would be too.”

“Of course I am! But… I’m also pretty nervous. Still can’t control my powers, remember? My bones break everytime I use it.” Sora winced as he thought about that. It was the downside to his amazing Quirk. He could boost his strength, charging himself up with a powerful energy that enhanced his physical skills… but it all came at a cost. He sighed, looking back towards his friend. “What about you, Riku? How’re you feeling about the festival?”

Riku turned a shade paler. “Well…”

“Sora! Riku!” Kairi had served as Riku’s saving grace. Both boys turned to face her. The usually relaxed girl’s face had a look that made it seem like she could punch someone in the face right then and there. There was even a shift in the tone of her voice that signalled how fired up she actually was. “Let’s do our best at the festival!”

“Kairi, what happened to your face?!” Sora exclaimed. He really wasn’t used to seeing her like this. Or at all.

“Hey, what’s up?” Rapunzel asked, having wandered over when she heard Sora. Everyone was staring at Kairi now, absolutely bewildered at the girl’s sudden attitude change. “You’re usually the most laid back out of all of us.”

“PMS?” Peter suggested. Rapunzel barely bat an eye as a piece of her hair came loose from it’s braid and wrapped around his mouth. Kairi ignored their questions, taking a fighting stance and raising her fist to the sky.

“Everyone! I’m gonna do my best!” she proudly declared. Sora grinned.

“Yeah!” both he and Rapunzel shouted, raising their fist with her. Riku only smirked, slightly amused by the whole situation. Kairi turned to their other classmates when they didn’t respond to her words. 

“I said, I’m gonna do my best!” A few of the other boys in the room lacklusterly raised their hands with her.

“Got it…” said Eugene, sounding a bit scared, “You okay, Shimizu? You look like you’re about to lose it.” Sora held back a laugh. Seeing Kairi so fired up like this.. it was weird, frankly, but still. It showed him that she was excited for the festival. The chance to get scouted by actual heroes was pretty amazing.

“One more time! I said I’m gonna do my BEST!”

And now that he thought about it… There was something he had been meaning to ask her. 

* * *

The students of 1-A quickly left their classroom and made their way to the cafeteria for lunch. All the while, they were still talking happily about the upcoming Sports Festival. But as Sora walked with Riku and Kairi (the latter of whom had now calmed down), their conversation turned to something else: the question that Sora had wanted to ask for a long time. Only now seemed appropriate to bring it up.

“Um, hey, Kairi?” he started as the trio arrived outside the cafeteria.

“Huh?” Kairi glanced over at him. “What is it?”

“Can I ask you somethin’?” Kairi nodded. “Why  _ did _ you want to come to U.A.? I know that you want to be a pro with the rest of us, but you never really told us why.” The girl’s eyes widened a bit. She slowed down until she came to a halt. The boys stopped a few paces in front of her.

“Well uh…” Kairi looked away from the two of them. “A Pro Hero’s salary is pretty big, right?” The boys stared at her. Wait...

“You want to be a hero so you can get rich?”

“If we’re putting it bluntly, yeah.” Kairi’s face turned a vibrant shade of red. “I know it sounds greedy! Your motivations are way better… like how Sora wants to become a hero to save people like Roxas. Compared to you guys…” Riku put his hand on her shoulder to cut her off.

“Stop comparing yourself to us,” he said to her as he pulled back. “You want to support your wellbeing, which is admirable on it’s own. But thinking about it… and knowing you… there’s something more to it, isn’t there?” She looked at the ground.

“...yeah,” Kairi said after a while. She glanced up at the boys. “You know how I’m adopted, right? How I can’t remember my birth family?”

“Yeah,” Sora said with a nod. While he hadn’t been part of it himself, he did know the story. Kairi had been found catatonic at the sight of a villain attack when she was just five. When she finally came out of it, she had no clear memory of her family or life before. Sora and Riku met her a little while after that, when she had been taken in by some of their neighbors and joined their kindergarten class.

“I…” Kairi sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. What? Was it embarrassing or something?

“You want to find them?” RIku guessed.

“Pretty much, yeah.” She groaned. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy with my mom and dad! I really am! But…” Kairi’s face fell, and she stared at the ground. “It’s just that I want to know what happened to my biological family. Why I was left behind and stuff like that. Right now, there’s not enough money to launch an investigation, or even do a DNA test to see where I come from. So…” She looked up at her friends, a determined look burning in her eyes. “I’m going to become a Pro. I’ll join a good agency and make plenty of money. Then I’ll be able to find out where I come from. And once that happens… I think life will be easier for me.”

Both boys stared at her. Neither of them had any idea that was what had been driving the third member of their trio. As the revelation started to sink in, Riku smirked.

“That’s very noble of you,” he told her. That was just about the right think to say. Kairi’s face lit up with a smile as she thanked him. Riku was right. Kairi wasn’t here because of some hero fantasy like some of the other students. She was probably more grounded than the rest of them.

“Sora!” The conversation was broken up as Sora’s attention fell to the man who called out his name. Cloud was standing not too far away, a brown bag in hand.

“Hey, Cloud!” said Sora as his stepfather walked over to him and his friends. “What’s up?” Cloud raised the bag he held.

“Lunch,” replied Cloud as if the answer was obvious. “Want to join me?” Sora turned to his friends, unsure of how to answer. They usually ate lunch together, but… Riku nodded, silently encouraging him to go. Sora nodded right back.

“Sure!” While his friends went off to the cafeteria, Sora jogged up to Cloud’s side to catch up as the man started to walk away. Something about this didn’t feel right. Sora normally didn’t eat with his stepfather unless it was at home. And after what had happened recently… “Um… hey, Cloud? Is something wrong?” Cloud sighed.

“Nothing’s wrong,” he said, ruffling up the brown spikes that made up Sora’s mess of hair. “There’s just something that we need to talk to you about.” Sora raised a brow.

_ We? _ What was up with the “we”? As they approached the teacher’s lounge, another member of the U.A. staff exited it. Zack Fair, the homeroom teacher for the other hero class left looking embarrassed, and in Sora’s personal opinion, the slightest bit scared.

“Zack?” Cloud said, a brow raised at the sight of his collegue. “You okay?”

“Oh yeah, I’m fine,” said Zack quickly, trying to wave off any concern that might have just cropped up. “Just had to ask her about something.” That simple statement made Cloud’s eyes narrow.

“She’s already in a bad mood. What did you do?”

“Nothing!” Zack sighed. “I’ll explain later, okay? Just…” He left, hurrying down the hall before he could actually explain. Despite Cloud calling after him, he didn’t stop. Sora was left utterly confused by the whole interaction. Mostly by one little word that had stood out the most to him.

_ She…?  _ Giving up on trying to get a solid answer out of Zack, Cloud sighed. He opened the door, revealing exactly who “she” was. Sora stood agape in the door when he spotted a very miserable Aqua Caelum waiting for him in the room and fighting with a teapot as she tried to use it with both of her arms in casts.

“Close your mouth before you catch flies,” Cloud simply stated as he ushered Sora in the room. Sora shut his mouth, quickly entering and sitting on the couch opposite his homeroom teacher. A moment of silence hung in the air as he tried to piece together what this was all about.

“I'm not in trouble, am I?” Sora asked as Cloud shut the door. “This isn’t a parent-teacher conference or something?” Being one of his legal guardians as well as his teacher, Cloud did have the power to be here for something like that.

“You’re not in trouble, Sora,” said Ms. Caelum with a slightly frustrated sigh. “I just asked to be here.” Oh… wait, what? Sora wanted to ask this, but was cut off by his stepfather as he walked over to them.

“After that fight at the USJ,” said Cloud, “it takes me an hour and a half to recharge my powers.” Sora’s eyes widened. While Cloud’s body could generate the electricity that powered his Quirk on its own, it wasn’t infinite. His body served as a sort of battery and required time to “recharge” following Cloud using up what he did have.

“What?” Sora said, still trying to grasp what his stepfather had just said. “I thought it took only fifty minutes!” Caelum continued to struggle with the pot in front of her before Cloud took over, exchanging the bag in hand for the pot.

“It used to.” He poured the tea into the trio of cups on the table that sat between the teacher and her student. “That man… Saïx took a lot out of me when he gave me this.” Cloud straightened before he lifted his shirt. Sora’s stomach slightly churned. A large, animalistic scar now marred Cloud’s side from where he had been attacked during his encounter with the berserker of Organization XIII. “I pushed myself past my limits just to take him down.”

Sora felt a pit of guilt drop into his stomach. “I… I’m sorry. I should’ve—”

“You don’t have to apologize.” Cloud placed a cup in front of him and one into Caelum’s hand. “It would’ve happened anyway.” Still… Sora felt partially responsible. Cloud had fought that man trying to protect his students. He was trying to protect  _ him _ . His hands curled around the fabric of his pants.

“So…” he glanced up at the two adults in front of him, “why  _ am _ I here?”

“Strife and I wanted to talk to you about the sports festival,” Ms. Caelum explained. “You can’t still control your powers, right?” Sora, despite being a bit embarrassed by that, nodded. As amazing as his power was, it was hard for him to get a grasp on. Just about every time he used his literal Superpower, he broke a bone. Wait… no… that wasn’t… Sora shook his head, changing his answer and surprising both Ms. Caelum and Cloud. “You can?”

“Yeah! I mean, sorta?” Sora ran his hands over his thighs, “I broke my legs when I used it to get to Cloud during the USJ attack, but before that, I managed to land a hit without any backlash at all!” The happiness that he had from that little moment faded why he remembered  _ why _ it had happened. “But…”

“That was the hit you landed on your brother,” Cloud finished for him. Sora nodded, thinking back to that moment during the USJ attack. He looked down at his hand. It had been an accident. He didn’t expect Roxas to jump in like that. He was just trying to protect Ariel from Saïx, too. The blow wasn’t even meant for him.

“I’m sorry to hear about that,” Sora looked up at his homeroom teacher as she spoke. “After that incident… who would’ve expected that the boy…?” Sora bit his lip. Cloud sharply elbowed Caelum in the side, eyes narrowed as he took care to avoid hitting her arms. Caelum looked between the other two in the room before clearing her throat. “Right. Sora. When looking at the other times you used your Quirk, what was different in that moment?”

“Um… well,” Sora thought about the situation he had been forced into just a few days ago, “we were fighting against real people for one. I didn’t have a lot of time to think, and I knew that this wasn’t training. And…” he looked down at his hand again, “...this was the first time I ever used it on another person on purpose.”

Ms. Caelum hummed. “It sounds like you succeeded in unconsciously holding back so you wouldn’t kill anyone. That’s some progress at the very least.” He guessed.

“Tea’s getting cold,” said Cloud. Oh, right… Sora took the cup that had been offered to him in the first place. He stared at the liquid inside.

“Sora…” Sora looked up at Caelum. Her expression was really hard to read with all those bandages on her face… “Villains are starting to notice the cracks in the system. They’re getting bolder and braver. Someone has to step up and keep people safe.” Sora eyes went wide. What was she talking about? “It seems like fate that you have that power burning inside of you. Do you still want to be a hero?”

Sora quickly nodded. “More than anything.”

“Then prove it.” He blinked. What? Cloud sighed.

“The sports festival,” he said, clearing up some of Sora’s confusion. “I’m sure that Caelum already told you that the entire country will be watching you closely. This is your debut. You have to introduce yourself to the world and tell them that you’re here. And they shouldn’t take you lightly.”

“But how can I do that?” Sora asked. It sounded so much easier to say than it was to do.

“You know how the Sports Festival is set up, right?” asked Caelum. Sora nodded.

“Yeah. Students are separated by year. Then the support, business, general studies, and hero courses all fight against each other in a bunch of trials to eliminate contestants. Whoever makes it through the initial games face off in the finals.” It was basically just one big round-robin tournament for the students.

“Meaning that you’ll have plenty of opportunity to prove yourself if you make it past the first game.” That was a pretty big ‘if’. And one that didn’t sound all that appealing.

“I guess…” The two teachers exchanged a look with each other before loudly groaning. Cloud dropped down on the couch as he did so, with the force of the weight he so quick and so suddenly on it knocking it backwards in the process. Caelum yelped as both she and him went flying back. Okay, maybe that wasn’t the best thing to say but— “Sorry! I get what you’re saying, and you’re right. But it’s kind of hard to get excited about this after what happened at the USJ. Plus, I’ve already got two of the world’s best heroes teaching me, so the festival isn’t my only chance to get scouted. Besides, I did so badly on the fitness tests, and I can’t even control my powers.”

“Leonhart, stop,” said Ms. Caelum as she stood back up with a little help from Cloud. “You’re starting to ramble.” Sora blinked. Cloud was now pulling the couch back into position.

“Hey, are you guys okay?” he asked. Ms. Caelum nodded.

“The difference between aiming for the top and settling for where you are has a big impact on how far you get in the real world,” Cloud explained as Caelum sat back down. He walked out from behind the sofa to join her. “Sorry, Caelum.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Caelum said with a short sigh. “I’ve experienced worse than that.” Cloud nodded before turning back to his son.

“Listen, we understand how you feel. I might be projecting onto you a bit, but I hope you haven’t forgotten the emotions you felt back at the beach while we were training.” Sora shook his head.

“I haven’t.” He never would.

Since Sora’s Quirk had developed so late in his life, his classmates and everyone around him already had more experience with controlling and dealing with their power. So, Sora had to push himself and go beyond, otherwise he didn’t stand much of a chance. He would push himself until he became a hero. To become someone who saved people without thinking about it first.

To save people, and to keep what had happened to Roxas from happening to anyone else. And if he wanted to save his brother, too… well… then he had to become a hero as quickly as he could. No matter what the cost of it was.

* * *

The words of his teacher and stepfather followed Sora through the entirety of his afternoon classes. A chance to prove himself? He really didn’t feel the need to do that. He hadn't thought about the Sports Festival as being like that until they said something. Was this the chance he needed? At least to get into a good agency in the future. Or maybe…

He looked down at his hand as he packed up his things, the final class of the day having ended a few minutes ago. Maybe this would be his chance to finally show that he got a good grip on his power. He had managed to put the brakes on them once. He could do it again, right..? ...Sora hoped that it wouldn’t be against someone close to him again, that was for sure.

Sora snapped out of his reverie when he joined the rest of his class at the door. He blinked. None of the fourteen members of 1-A could very well leave. A crowd made up of their fellow students was blocking their way.

“Um… who are you guys?” Kairi asked the crowd as Sora walked up to her and Riku’s side.

“Do you have business with our class?” Riku added, stepping forward a bit to keep the rest of the class behind him. No one answered either of them. Okay… then what exactly was going on?

“Quit blocking the doorway!” Peter shouted, despite the fact that he could easily bypass the crowd and was also currently hovering above his classmates.

“They’re scouting out the competition,” eyes fell on Adam as he moved to the front and towards the door. “We’re the class that survived a villain attack. They want to see us with their own eyes. Now move it.”

“Adam, please don’t go feral on anyone…” Sora muttered. Though the beast was the only person who hadn’t opened up like the rest of the class had there was one thing for certain. The boy had a bad temper that could get out of hand.

“So this is Class 1-A? I heard that you guys were impressive, but you just sound like an asshole,” cut in a voice. A tall, slender with spiky orange hair boy wove his way through the crowd until he stood at the front. He stared at the students in front of him.

“Is everyone in the hero course as delusional as you?” said the boy, making Adam growl. Mulan grabbed his wrist before he could do anything, and Sora could swear that his teeth were growing sharper. “A bunch of ego maniacs… Like many people here, I wanted to be in the hero course, but I was forced to choose a different path. But I have another chance.”

Sora blinked, raising an eyebrow. “Another chance?”

“If any one of us does well in the sports festival, the teachers can transfer us to the hero course. Which means they’ll have to transfer someone out to make room. While everyone else here might be scouting the competition, I’m here to let you know that I’ll be taking your spot if you don’t bring your all. Consider this a declaration of war.”

_ Where did this guy even come from?!  _ It felt like everyone had turned against 1-A in less than a day. A moment of tension hung in the air and the orange-haired boy stared at the class, neither willing to move. The silence remained until—

“Hey, you!” shouted a voice.

“Wait!” called out another. Two people were making their way through the blockade — a brunette girl and a furious-looking blonde boy.

“We’re from Class B next door,” said the blonde boy, breaking through the crowd despite his friend’s attempts to hold him back. “We heard that you fought some villains, and we came to see if that was true. But you all just seem like a bunch of brats!” Sora bit back a small squeak.

_ Crap, everyone hates our class now! _

“Talk all ya want! It’ll just be more embarrassing when you’re KO’d,” the boy continued to shout. Sora heard Riku sigh from beside him before he very casually walked out of the room. “Don’t you ignore me!”

“Hey, Yamazaki!” Eugene rushed to the door. Riku stopped, glancing back at his classmates over his shoulder. “You’re our class rep. You gotta say something! They all hate us!”

“Anything I say doesn’t matter,” Riku simply stated. The entire class stared at him. “They made up their minds, and I’ve made up mine. They’re not going to win.” Sora bit back a groan.

_ And Riku’s competitiveness is starting to show its head again… _ He thought that was gone… or that, at least it had only been directed at him or something. Since they were kids, Riku had always been a bit competitive when it came to competition, whether it was official or only he saw it as one. Usually it was the latter.

“Hey!” shouted the blonde from 1-B as Riku walked past him. “I’m comin’ for you!"

“Hayner!” cried out the brunette girl behind him, doing her best to hold her friend back. Eugene only growled, thoroughly frustrated by the whole situation as he slumped against the doorframe.

“I hate that he’s right…” he said, hitting the fame with a loosely balle fist. Wait, what?

“You said it,” Wakka agreed with a nod.

“Yeah, but it’s because of you,” Tidus turned to an unfazed Adam as he spoke before gesturing out the door, “and him that we’re now everyone’s enemies!”

“Everyone’s gonna be gunnin’ for us now!” Peter added, finally taking advantage of his Quirk to ease out of the classroom, with a few other of their classmates following. Sora let Riku’s words repeat his head. He was getting competitive. It didn’t make sense. He surely thought that after..

The mock battle. Sora bit his lip as he thought about it. It had been an explosive start to their hero training, when Riku and Sora had been pit against each other in a fight. Everything that Riku had been bottling up for the past year exploded then, and… and he lost control of his powers. If it weren’t for Sora exploiting his friend’s weakness to get him to calm down… well he probably just wouldn’t have had to go to the nurse’s office following that fight.

Sora thought back to the conversation that they had shortly after he was released from the infirmary.

_ “Don’t talk to me like I’m some kind of idiot. I came in first during the exams. I’ve always been the strongest, so why now…? The only one who could beat me was Roxas, and he’s—!” Riku cut himself off there, his voice echoing in the courtyard. He sighed, running a hand through his hair and lowering his voice. “He’s gone. And now you… No, everyone is stronger than me. Cloud was right, I could’ve killed you! Dammit! How do you not hate me after everything that I—?!” _

_ This time, Riku didn't stop himself. Sora did. He ran up to his friend, barrelling into the boy and nearly knocking him over. He rested his head against Riku’s chest in some sort of weird, armless embrace. _

_ “I don’t hate you. You're one of my best friends. I couldn’t hate you, no matter what you do,” said Sora, pressing his forehead harder against Riku’s chest. “Please don’t leave. I already lost one of my best friends, I don’t want to lose you too!” _

Sora walked out the door as the crowd of students started to disperse, sinking his hands low into his jacket’s pockets.

_ Riku… maybe I am just an idiot... _ He thought about Kairi’s reason to be a pro hero. He thought about why he wanted to be a hero. He thought about everything that Ms. Caelum and Cloud had told him about the Sports Festival earlier that day. Sora felt a sense of determination and pride start to burn within his heart.  _ But that doesn’t mean I’m going to give up that easily. _


End file.
